Cyprus R&D inches up (at snail’s pace)

Cyprus managed to increase the proportion of GDP spent on research and development in 2007, but it still falls well below the EU target of 3% of GDP by 2010.
On the basis of the results of the ad hoc survey carried out by the Statistical Service for the collection of data on scientific research and experimental development (R & D), total R & D expenditure in Cyprus in 2007 is estimated at EUR 70.1 mln or 0.45% of GDP.
This was slightly higher than the EUR 61.4 mln or 0.43% of GDP recorded in 2006, which in turn was higher than the EUR 54.4 mln or 0.40% recorded in 2005.
Despite the nominal growth of 14.2% in R & D expenditure in 2007, the share of the GDP of Cyprus devoted to R & D activities continues to be low compared to other countries.
For example, the average ratio of R & D expenditure to GDP in the EU is 1.83%, ranging from 0.45% in Cyprus, 0.46% in the Slovak Republic and 0.48% in Bulgaria to 3.47% in Finland and 3.64% in Sweden.
By sector of performance, the higher education institutions accounted for EUR 31.7 mln or 45.3% of total R & D expenditure; the government for EUR 16.9 mln or 24.1%; the business enterprises for EUR 16.0 mln or 22.9% and the private non-profit institutions for EUR 5.4 mln or 7.7%.
In the business enterprise sector, computer and related activities constituted the principal source of R & D activity, with a total R & D expenditure of EUR 5.9 mln. However also of particular importance was the contribution of the manufacturing industry (and particularly the manufacturers of chemicals and chemical products) with investment of EUR 5.7 mln.
The biggest part of R & D expenditure was devoted to the natural sciences (EUR 23.1 mln).
Engineering and technology absorbed EUR 15.2 mln; the social sciences EUR 12.2 mln; the agricultural sciences EUR 10.3 mln; the humanities EUR 5.3 mln and the medical sciences EUR 3.8 mln.
About 42.9% of R & D activity in 2007 was financed from government funds (EUR 30.0 mln), compared with EUR 28.0 mln or 45.6% in 2006, while EUR 15.2 mln was drawn from the budget of the state universities and EUR 10.2 mln from sources from abroad (including EUR 7.5 mln from European Union funds).
The private sector contributed only EUR 14.6 mln, although this was higher than the EUR 13.1 mln spent in 2006.
The number of persons engaged in R & D activities actually fell in 2007 to 2,495, compared to 2,534 in 2006. In full-time equivalent terms, this number is estimated at 1,244 persons, of which 472 or 37.9% were women.
Of these persons, 29.7% were holders of PhD level degrees.